Is Alleged War-Hero Imposter Also Sgt. Leatherchaps? (We Investigate)

On Veteran's day we told you about the strange saga of 39-year-old Steven Burton, who the U.S. Attorney has accused of posing as a war hero -- uniform, Purple Heart, the whole get-up. We were recently forwarded photos of a man who might or might not be Burton posing in a decidedly sexual manner.

A U.S. Navy Commander at her high school reunion broke the case open when she spotted the suspect in full Naval dress, rare medals and all and, suspicious, asked to take photo with him. She forwarded the image to authorities, and they charged him with unauthorized display of armed forces medals. After we wrote about it, a male reader came forward to allege that the suspect had contacted him previously in an online chat room, claimed to be a Marine, and told him he liked to pick up guys at gay bars while dressed as a military man. He alleges they struck an ongoing, flirtatious internet relationship (and that the suspect had claimed to be someone else but later admitted to his own identity). We're not sure if the claims are true, but the accompanying photos appear to depict Burton in a wholly different kind of uniform. Is it really him? (Warning: NSFW, and possibly NSFL -- not safe for lunch).

Dennis Romero has worked on staff at several magazines and newspapers, including the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Los Angeles Times, where he participated in Pulitzer Prize-winning coverage of the L.A. riots. His work has appeared in Rolling Stone online, the Guardian, and, as a
young stringer, the New York Times.